The 22-year-old has missed the beginning of the season due to an offseason shoulder surgery. The procedure was to repair and injury sustained late last season — Dermott missed 18 games through 2018-19.

In those 64 games played, the defenceman scored four goals and has 17 points.

The Leafs have had major defensive concerns since the start of this season and getting one of the regular blueliners back can potentially help recover some lost time. While on the ice, the club was generally better defensively with Dermott and had more scoring opportunities overall.

It’s not a perfect solution, but it will certainly be an improvement.

Dermott will play tonight against Washington next to Juston Holl on the third pairing.